There are various articles describing eyelid opening and closing mechanisms and the related eyelid structures involved. For example, one article describes the stretching of the Mueller muscle which results in involuntary contraction of the levator muscle (K. Matsuo, Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg, 18(1), 2002 January, p. 5-10). Another article describes the refined distribution of myelinated trigeminal proprioceptive nerve fibers in Mueller's muscle as the mechanoreceptors to induce involuntary reflexive contraction of the levator and frontalis muscles (S. Yuzuriha, K. Matsuo, C. Hirasawa, T. Moriizumi, J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg, 62(11), 2009 November, p. 1403-1410). Another article describes the reflexive contraction of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle to involuntarily sustain the effective eyelid retraction through the transverse trigeminal proprioceptive nerve on the proximal Mueller's muscle, and its verification with evoked electromyography (R. Ban, K. Matsuo, Y. Osada, M. Ban M, S. Yuzuriha, J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg, 63(1), 2010 January, p. 59-64). Another article describes the efferent and afferent innervations of Mueller's muscle related to the involuntary contraction of the levator muscle, which is important for avoiding injury during eyelid surgery (S. Yuzuriha, K. Matsuo, Y. Ishigaki, N. Kikuchi, K. Kawagishi, T. Moriizumi, Br J Mast Surg, 58(1), 2005 January, p. 42-52). All of the above articles are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Some problems encountered with eyelid opening and closing mechanisms may be caused by unilateral damage of the nerve fibers of the facial nerve or its nucleus which leads to peripheral facial paresis. In Western Europe and the USA, the incidence of peripheral facial pareses is approx. 20-35/100,000 inhabitants. Thus, facial paresis is a common disease. In most cases and depending on the cause, peripheral paresis shows non-degenerative paresis (neurapraxia according to Seddon) so that 80% of the cases show regeneration of the nerve under adequate therapy. 95% of cases with central facial paresis show regeneration. In cases of degenerative paresis (axonotmesis, neurotmesis, mixed forms according to Seddon) caused by the destruction of nerve fibers, persistent defects are observed after healing.
Persistent defects after healing are even observed in cases of spontaneous regeneration or optimal and extensive surgical reconstruction of the nerve in cases of nerve transsection and bridging of the defect with neural transplants. Sprouting of the regenerating axons is observed at the site of the lesion even after reconstruction of nerve continuity. At the same time, Wallerian degeneration of the entire affected section of the nerve as far as the muscles is completed until only the Bungner's bands remain as Schwann cell conducting structures. The regenerating neurons with their sprouting axons grow accidentally into these bands of the individual nerve branches and are directed to the peripheral mimic muscles. Individual axons perish and do not reach the periphery, some accidentally reach their original target muscle, while others reach a completely different target muscle. Due to axonal collateral sprouting, the most frequently observed effect is simultaneous sprouting to several target muscles, such as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
This leads clinically to simultaneous movement of several target muscles (a condition called synkinesis). Patients often complain about involuntary lid closure while moving the mouth, e.g., when eating. Simultaneous movement of antagonist muscles leads to the autoparalytic syndrome: muscle forces cancel each other out and no movement is observed clinically despite innervation. New research shows that not only collateral sprouting but also terminal sprouting (such as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B) of the regenerating axons directly at the neuromuscular end-plates causes uncoordinated muscle function. This explains why the patients' quality of life is significantly limited even after surgical reconstruction of the nerve. If the lesion is so extensive that the remaining peripheral part of the facial nerve is insufficient, or if Bungner's bands are fibrosed due to failed reinnervation and muscles are atrophied due to long term denervation of more than 3 to 5 years, the patient can no longer be offered a nerve graft. Possible therapies include dynamic muscle grafts, free nerve-muscle transplantation, implantation of upper lid weights or static suspensions. Functional results of these secondary procedures are even less satisfactory than the above mentioned nerve grafts. These procedures may, at best, restore muscle tone, but facial expression remains very mask-like and the dynamic muscle suspensions allow only few and very mechanistic movement vectors to be reproduced.
There are basically three classes of symptoms in facial nerve paralysis that may affect eyelid closure. First, a complete loss of the peripheral facial nerve leads to a loss of muscle tone in the affected half of the face or of the area innervated by the lost peripheral facial nerve branch and the soft tissues of the face sag. Voluntary motor movement is lost, and mimic muscles can no longer be moved. The inability to close the eyelid indirectly leads to vision disorders since the eye waters and inflammation is possible. This hypo-eyelid-closure problem affects less than 20% of patients.
Second, a pronounced but synkinetic reinnervation leads to the simultaneous movement of several target muscles. As mentioned above, patients may experience involuntary lid closure, e.g., while moving the mouth, or simultaneous movement of antagonist muscles which leads to the muscle forces cancelling each other out. This disynergic-eyelid-closure problem affects greater than 30% of patients.
Third, peripheral polyinnervation, central poly-activation or central hypo-inhibition, may lead to an almost continuous contraction of a muscle, like in a tremor, spasm or spasmodic pathogenesis. This hyperactivity of the musculus orbicularis oculi or hyper-eyelid-closure problem affects greater than 30% of patients. There are some therapies adapted for hyper-contractions of a muscle that may be used in eyelid closure. These therapies focus on pathologically weakening the hyper-contracted or hyper-activated muscles that are involved in the tremor or spasm. For example, botulinum toxin may be injected in contracting muscles to temporarily damage nerve-muscle transfer of some of the synapses of the contracting muscles. Alternatively, some percentage of nerve fibers innervating the contracting muscle, or some percentage of the muscle fibers of the contracting muscle, may be surgically damaged.